A New Beginning
by OneHellOfAMarshmellow
Summary: Merlin saves Arthur's life on his way to Camelot, not knowing he's the prince. He has to use magic to heal Arthur and is caught in the act. Merlin shows Arthur how different magic is from what he's been taught, and they strike up a friendship. Once getting to city they have part ways and Arthur promises not to turn Merlin in. What happens when they meet again at a certain banquet?
1. Chapter 1

It still felt surreal, he hadn't even arrived in Camelot yet and just thinking about it could leave him either feeling giddy with excitement or panicked with fear. He had dreamed for years of leaving Ealdor, ever since he was a child he knew he couldn't stay there forever. It wasn't just the fact that it was clear he didn't fit with everyone else it was also that he couldn't allow himself to live out the rest of his life being nothing but a poor farmer and never seeing any of the world.

He had wanted to leave after turning eighteen (old enough to be able to get a decent job), but there had been a hard winter and Ealdor had needed all of the help they could get in the fields. Even though his mother, Hunith, and himself didn't have a piece of land to themselves -besides the area around their home- they got their food from the rest of the village and he couldn't just not help the people he had grown up with and who had helped him and his mother all throughout his life.

So here he was, already nineteen and less than a day's walk to Camelot. The thought of it this time brought a silly grin to his face and he couldn't help the little skip in his steps as he thought back to a few hours earlier when he had come to the top of a hill and had been able to see the top of the towers of the castle.

He wasn't able to see any of the castle now, he was deep in the middle of the forest that lay outside the city. The path he was on wasn't the main road towards the city, so it was the only sign of human civilization at the moment, it had been a few hours since he passed the last town located right at the edge of the forest.

The only person he had seen so far had been one grim faced man on a horse who had been galloping towards the city at a speed Merlin had never seen a horse move at before (not that he'd gotten to see many before). Ealdor didn't have any horses only had a mule, and they rarely got visitors, well, besides Gaius who came to visit them at least once a year. The horses he did see though, could never have gone that fast, so he assumed that the man was probably some sort of noble or knight.

It was about an hour later he decided to take a short break since he was making good time. He wasn't in a huge hurry, and even if he went as fast as he could without taking breaks he still wouldn't get to the city till after nightfall and the gates were closed by then so he'd have to make camp anyways.

He walked a little ways from the path wondering if maybe he could find a little stream that he could drink from, he had a water skin with him but he didn't want to waste it, beside he kind of wanted to explore the woods. He may have also had a feeling that Gaius would be asking him to come out here often to gather herbs, so why not go ahead and get a early start?

At the thought of the old physician he couldn't help but sigh as he thought of all the chores Merlin knew would be waiting for him in Camelot if he knew anything about Gaius at all. The man had always made him and Will gather large quantities of herbs and prepare them for transportation when he visited.

Merlin had sometimes wondered if the only reason why the man came to visit Ealdor was because he could stock up on wares there for free, but whenever Merlin mentioned it when complaining his mother would smack him on the back of the head and tell him that he should be happy to help his uncle Gaius (not that they were actually related to each other). When Gaius had caught him saying it one time he had just smiled and told him that if he really was taking advantage of free workers he would have taken him back back to Camelot with him to clean his leach tanks.

Merlin still wasn't sure whether or not it was just a joke to scare him as a child, he was afraid he'd get to Camelot and it would be the first thing Gaius would have him do. Deciding to stay on the man's good side just in case he really did have a leach tank he decided he could take some time to pick a few herbs to bring the man.

He took out a small empty bag that he had had stored some food in earlier and started to pick plants, sometimes digging a little into the ground to pull out the roots with it. He may have complained non stop when Gaius or his mother would drill in the names, locations, properties, and uses of plants, but he knew how useful the information was.

His mother had been an apprentice to Gaius before she'd had him. She had left Camelot to live with his father (who he was, Merlin had no idea) and had never gotten to finish her apprenticeship, but even so, she had become their villages healer, it was one of the ways she made money or got food when she'd had him with no husband insight. Merlin sometimes thought of how much better his mother's life would have been if she hadn't been stuck with a bastard child, but she was happy and the one time he'd mentioned it to her she'd given him a long hard hug and told him to never say such things and that he was greatest thing to have ever happened to her.

Once he'd gotten old enough that she didn't have to watch him constantly she had started studying the books Gaius had given her to expand her knowledge on healing. In the past years people from neighboring villages would come to her for help, since the cities were too far away to move a sick person to and it would take too long to bring the healer back before the person died, not to mention hardly anyone would be able to afford a healers. Hunith hardly ever charged people for her help, but people usually still gave them what they could be it clothes, food, or money.

Merlin often helped whenever he could (since he wasn't of much use in the fields), making bandages, boiling water, grinding up herbs and such but he didn't know much besides the basics to healing. When he had been younger he had hated all the sick people that had to come their house, the blood and/or vomit made him feel sick so he spent a lot of time at Wills. He had grown used to it eventually and he could tell that his mother loved being able to help people. She always felt the most accomplished and fulfilled when she was able to successfully able to heal someone.

In the past few years -since he was around 15- Hunith found she had more time on her hands now that she didn't have to watch over him and Will as much anymore now that they were older and could work, so she had started growing her own herbs. Their house, as well as Wills, was covered in plants, the front and back yards filled with herbs as well as a few other plants. So, not only did he know the names, locations, and properties of plants he also knew how to grow them -not that that would be of much used to him now that he was going to be living in the city.

He'd been walking around about half an hour when he heard the sound of water, grinning he followed it to find a small stream. He kneeled down splashing some water on his face before cupping some between his hands and drinking the icy water from his palms.

He was reaching for his water skin to fill up when he noticed that he wasn't the only person here, but as he took in the man who was flat on his stomach on the muddy bank opposite of him with his legs dipped into the water he realized he was certainly the only conscious person there.

Worried, he immediately waded through the stream to get to the other side, the water barely making it past his knees.

"Sir, excuse me sir," He called out as he came to knee next to the man, shaking his shoulder. The man didn't move or make a sound. Merlin, fearing he had just found a dead man, placed his finger on the man's neck and let out a relieved sigh when he felt a pulse, a very weak pulse but a pulse all the same. He turned the man over then.

"Shit," He whispered, as he took in the sight of the man. The man was bleeding from his right shoulder, and from what he could see this was no small slash.

He acted quickly, not thinking too much about it just knowing he had to do, it was a mind frame that he had had to work on so that he didn't freeze up in panic every time someone was brought to the house a bleeding mess.

He dragged the man away from muddy river bank and onto the dry grass. Without thinking too much about it he used his magic to clear the little area, pushing all the rocks and twigs away, something he had been practicing every night on his journey here so that he didn't have to worry about rocks digging into his back as he slept.

The man was blonde but it was hard to tell with all the dirt in his hair, he was very well built, his clothes weren't flashy but up close Merlin could tell that they were very fine quality which was probably why he'd been attacked, so he was most likely harmed by bandits considering he didn't have anything on him.

Merlin put him on his back and slipped off the leather jerkin the man was wearing, he then ripped the collar of the shirt so he could he could see the wounds. He winced when he saw it, if it had been any closer to the man neck he would have surely already have bleed to death. It looked like it was a stab wound but it was too long. It looked like someone had tried to stab him then slashed down cutting down his chest. The cut was at least six inches long.

He ripped the rest of the shirt off and used it to press into the wounds. He was struck with the terrifying realization that this man's life was in his hands, even if Merlin could carry him they would never make it to Gaius in time. He checked the man's pulse again -it didn't seemed to have changed.

He took off his pack and took out the pot he used for cooking, it wasn't very big but it would have to do. He reached out his hand and twigs and branches were summoned to him, he pulled them quickly together and with another glow of his eyes a fire was burning. He ran over to the river and filled up the pot and grabbed the bag of herbs he dropped when he had knelt next to the blonde.

He set up the pot so it was over the fire, then used his magic to speed up the boiling process. He emptied out his water skin before dunking the waterskin in the water once it started boiling, knowing he was probably ruining it but he needed to only use clean water on the man or risk him getting an infection. He put the lid on it and put it to the side to cool down before he used it, then, using his handkerchief to hold pot, filled pot again. This time he took out his extra pair of clothes and dumped them into the water to be sanitized so he could use them as bandages.

He then knelt next to the man, took off the clothes then used the water from his waterskin to clean the wound (also using it to clean his own hands as well leaving them red from the hot water), once he was sure they were clean enough he took out a bowl that he used for eating and started using that to grinned up the herbs up in.

He didn't think about how the man had already lost so much blood, about how he didn't have proper bandages, or how he didn't have the time to prepare the herbs like he needed to, he just did, and he did it as fast as he could.

A paste, that Merlin was not happy with, was applied onto wound. He would need stitches but not only did he not have a needle or thread he didn't know how to do them. He took his shirt out of the small pot and used magic to dry it before ripping it to pieces and wrapping it around the blonde's shoulder.

He didn't know what else he could do besides wait. So he started to wash the rest of the man, he had been laying face down in the mud after all, before laying him down on his bedroll next to the fire and covering him with his thin blanket, the man barely let out even groan during the whole process. He collected more wood as well as more plants, but never went far, staying as close as he possibly could to the man just in case.

Merlin took out the pair of pants he had put in the boiling water and hung them up over a tree to dry along with the man's shirt and jerkin he had done his best to clean so that they could be used as bandages later. He didn't want to use anymore magic because already he could feel the strain of it, he very rarely ever used magic like this.

He spent the next hour making a better paste out of everything he could find, and out of the few that he had been given by his mother before he left home for just in case. He continually checked the man's pulse, and grew more and more worried when he seemed to get worse.

He would have to do it he decided. He would have to use magic. His mother and Gaius both had always warned him about using magic when healing, but he had still tried to use it once on one of his mother patients. He had been a little less experienced with his magic than he was now, and had just tried to pour his magic into the woman. In doing so he had actually speed up the process. He had never forgiven himself, and had begged Gaius to teach him incantations so that he could save her. He had refused, telling him he couldn't mess with the balance of life and death, that there was nothing they could do and that she had been going to die anyways.

Placing a hand on the man's forehead and another on his heart Merlin closed his eyes and took deep breathes finding the part of himself deep inside and brought it forth, down his arms and out of his fingertips and into the man below him.

His eyes were open now, though he didn't notice it, and blazing golden staring off into the distance. He was so focused that he didn't notice the rise of temperature around him or the way leaves seemed to flowing around him in some sort of air curtain or the way that the man's eyes flew open with a gasp.

What he did notice was when he was roughly pushed onto his back and a strong hand came around his throat.

"What were you doing to me sorcerer?" The man screamed, the last word coming out like a curse.

"Saving your life, you prat!" Merlin spat out, hands coming up to try and push away the man's hands. He wasn't suffocating but it was difficult to breath.

"What?" The man's narrowed eyes moved away from him for the first time to take in his surroundings. After looking around the camp he looked down at himself to see the bandage. If the man wasn't threatening his life right now and he wasn't worn out from all the magic he used he would have laughed at the comical look on the blonde's face, he looked so confused like the world was trying to trick him.

"Saving me?" He repeated, loosening his grip a little.

"When I found you, you were half way in the river and bleeding out in the mud." Merlin pointed over to where the river was, even though you couldn't see it from here you could hear it. "And then I dragged you here, but you had already lost so much blood and I didn't have the right supplies to save you so I had to use magic, though I'm kind of regretting it now." He murmured the last part darkly.

"So you used magic?"

"Yes I did, you ass." Merlin snapped, the insult made the blonde tighten his grip around him and narrow his eyes dangerously.

"You can't speak to me that way."

"I can speak to you however I want, who do you think you are?" The man opened his mouth to retort but then paused as if just then hearing his words for the first time.

"You don't know who I am?" He asked slowly, his hand loosening and now just resting above his throat, Merlin kept his body still waiting for the best moment to escape this man.

"Should I?" Merlin asked looking the man over wondering who he could be. Then he paused, glancing over at the jacket the man had been wearing. Maybe he had stolen it? "You're not a bandit are you?" It would be just his luck, saving a man who turned out to be theif then getting robbed. "I have nothing of value, just take what you want and let me go." He said, this man was clearly well built and he had noticed scars all over his body, clearly from many fights.

"What? No I'm not," The blonde denied vehemently, staring at Merlin like he was the strangest thing he'd ever seen before he started laughing hysterically. He let go of Merlin and sat back holding his stomach as he laughed like a madman. Merlin sat up slowly and observed the man cautiously.

"You okay?" Merlin asked wondering if his magic had had any negative side effects, but the question only caused the man to laugh louder.

"Am I okay? Am I okay?" Merlin decided that the man surely wasn't. "A man who you think was about to kill you, and trust me I was, and you ask him if he is okay?"

Merlin stared at him, not amused.

"Oh my god, what a day. First my servant sells me out to some bandits when I go on a hunting trip, I almost die, only to be saved by a sorcerer who mistakes me for a common thief."

"Servant? Why would you have a servant?" Merlin eyes grew wide with horror. "Oh no, you're a noble aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm a knight." The blonde said proudly, seemingly recovered from his hysterical fit. Merlin went pale. He now wished this man was a bandit.

"Shit." Was all Merlin could say, and the man seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Yeah, not the best person to be using magic around."

 **. o . O . o .**

 **Thanks for reading! I'm reposting this from my other account Noneofthecabswouldtakeme where it is under the same title, and I will be continuing this story over here. The next chapter will be coming this next week, it's all written out just in need of some touch ups.**

 **Looking forward to hearing from everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2

" _Oh no, you're a noble aren't you?"_

" _Yes, I'm a knight." The blonde said proudly, seemingly recovered from his hysterical fit. Merlin went pale. He now wished this man was a bandit._

" _Shit." Was all Merlin could say, and the man seemed to know what he was thinking._

" _Yeah, not the best person to be using magic around."_

Merlin just stared at the blonde man with wide eyes. _How? How could he be so stupid?_ He hadn't even made it to the city yet and he'd already been found out. He couldn't help but think back to what Will had said before he left and think he was right.

 _They had been hanging out in the woods gathering firewood but they weren't in any hurry. They worked in silence both clearly caught up in their own minds. Merlin was leaving at the end of the week and he had only just broken the news to Will the previous night. He hadn't said anything just walked out to spend the night in his parents home. That's how he'd known he was upset._

 _When Will's parents died, Hunith had taken him into their home gladly and he didn't end up stepping into his old home until a year later. Now days it wasn't so painful for him, it was now used mostly as a place to store some items, put patients, or teach classes. But sometimes, like on the anniversary of his parents deaths or when they'd had a bad fight fight he'd go to stay there._

 _They didn't really need anyone firewood -and Will knew it- he'd just asked him to come out with him so they could talk, but it seemed Merlin couldn't find the courage to speak up. He sighed as he bent down to grab a fallen branch and then without conscious thought reached out his hand to another branch and have it slide right into his palm only half noticing it._

" _How do you think you'll be able to hide your magic when you get to Camelot?"_

 _Merlin was so surprised by the unexpected words that it took him a moment to respond. "I just won't use it, it's not like they have dogs that can sniff it out." Will just sniffed in disdain and turned away like it wasn't even worth replying to. "What is it?"_

" _Nothing."_

" _Will."_

" _It's just that you've never been able to go without using magic before, what makes you think you could do it now? Remember the last time you tried? You almost lost control of it, things would start floating or setting on fire without you even noticing it. Not to mention the fact that it was physically hurting you."_

" _Will, you're making it sound much worse than it is. I'm older now I'm sure-" But he was cut off before he could finish._

" _It's not just that, you just can't help yourself."_

" _That's not true."_

" _Please." He rolled his eyes. "You love it, you don't want to stop."_

 _Merlin didn't have anything to have to that. It was true._

" _I don't care that you're leaving us," Merlin opened his mouth to deny it, but was cut off before he could. "I hate the fact that you're putting yourself in danger, you could die Merlin and we'd never even get your body back because they'd burn it."_

 _Will looked up at him with pleading eyes but Merlin just looked away. Nothing his friend would say could change his mind. Will just sighed and went to sit down on a bench size stone to his right dropping his pile of wood at his feet. "Nothing i say is going to change your mind is it?"_

 _Merlin put his pile down as well and went to sit next to him. "Why haven't you said any of this before, you knew I planned on leaving, I almost did last year."_

" _I didn't think you'd actually go through with it after you didn't last spring, I thought it'd just be one of those things we always talk about doing but never actually do."_

" _What? I don't do that!" Merlin spoke up indignantly._

" _Yes, you do," Will laughed._

" _Do not."_

" _What about when you swore you'd run off to become a dragon rider?"_

" _I was nine!"_

" _Okay how about how you keep saying you'll follow up with that dare to put a garden snake in Garolds bed?"_

" _I've been busy."_

" _That was two years ago!" At this point they were both cracking up, collapsing onto each other. "Well how bout this, I'll do it as a going away gift to you."_

" _I'll believe it when I see it!"_

He never actually got around to it before he left a few days later, and Will had given him hell.

What was he going to do? There was no way he would be able to go to Camelot, this man knew what he looked like, and even though there were thousands of people in Camelot he was sure it wouldn't be long till they found him, and what would happen to Gaius then? All he could do was run back to Ealdor with his tail between his legs.

At that moment the knight's eyes suddenly lost focused and he dropped to one knee barely holding himself up with his hand. His head dipped forward and he started taking deep ragged breaths. Merlin could see his body tremble with the effort to stay upright, and the thought that first came to his mind was; _this is my chance, I could run right now back to Ealdor_. The man would never be able to follow him and by the time he was able to make his way back to Camelot (if he was able to that is) it would be too late to send anyone after him.

"What did you do to me sorceror?" The knight demanded through gritted teeth, clearly in pain. He lifted his head up and gave Merlin such a fierce glare that if Merlin wasn't sure that the man couldn't get up at the moment would have had him running away in fear of his imminent death, he still couldn't help taking a step back before indignation bubbled up in him and he started speaking without thinking (not that that didn't happen on a usual basis).

"Excuse me? What did I do? I saved your life you ungrateful prat."

"You are not allowed to speak to me like that, and I know you did something. I feel- I can barely-" He cut himself off clearly not wanting to admit that he couldn't stand and that he was in a great amount of pain.

"Or what? You'll kill me? And the only thing I did to you was heal you, incase you didn't notice you were _stabbed_ ," Merlin retorted sarcastically.

"Then why why do I feel so different from when I woke?"

"I don't know," Merlin said with a shrug, running a hand anxiously through his hair. "Maybe the magic ran out or something. Look, how about," He stopped himself clearing his throat nervously, he was going to regret this, he was soooooo going to regret this, but he couldn't just leave the man out here to to most likely die while he ran home like a coward. He knew he'd end up regretting it for the rest of his life, besides, he felt the strong urge to prove that magicals weren't the disgustingly foul thing that the knight kept making them out to be every time he opened his mouth. "How about we call a truce okay, I'll finish doing what I can to fix you up and you don't kill me, deal?"

"Witches have no honor, how would I know you won't kill me or do something worse?"

"AGHH! You're so frustrating!" Merlin shouted into the woods raising his hands in defeat. "If I was going to kill you why would I have started to heal you? I could have just left you to die."

"I don't have a clue, you witches don't have any common sense, you just found out I'm a knight you could now -ow!- want me dead, or you could have just brought be back from the brink of death to lord over me how you are going to be the one to kill me." Arthur explained himself as he settled into a better position, wincing all the while.

Merlin placed a hand on his hand on his hip while the other rubbed at the bridge of his nose in irritation, both at the man's words and at himself for wanting to go over and help him not because he cared about his well being of course, but because the man was going to ruin all the work he put into making his bandages.

"Okay, first of all, I don't know much about sorcerers but even I know that a witch is a woman. Second, you think I'm the one with no common sense? You were the one who told me you were a knight after you knew I was a sorcerer. And really? Bringing you back to consciousness and helping to heal you _all_ so I can flaunt to you my evil plan and brag about how I'll be the one to kill you? That never happens in real life, only in stories."

"You'd be surprised," The knight mumbled under his breath as he finally stopped moving and leaned back against a tree.

Merlin lifted a brow in response. "Oh, don't tell me that kind of stuff actually happens to you?"

He smirked, "All the time, in matter of fact it happened just before I was stabbed this morning."

"Oh really," Merlin said sarcastically as he knelt next to the fire to put some more kindle in. "Was it you archenemy? Has he been plotting your demise for years? Is he going to take your maiden now that you're out of the way?"

Arthur snorted out a laugh, causing to Merlin to grin, only wincing slightly as pain lanced through his shoulder. "I almost wish that were true, it'd sound much more exciting than what really happened."

"So, what did happen?" Merlin prompted, nudging the fire with a stick, now curious. Arthur debated whether he should tell for a moment before mentally shrugging, the boy didn't seem much younger than himself and had made good point earlier, it really didn't make sense for him to be planning to kill him (not that Arthur wouldn't stay vigilant).

"Uh, well," Arthur sighed, running a hand through his hair and then grimacing at the feel of dirt. "It was my manservant."

"Your what?" Merlin asked confused.

"Uh, a manservant is my own personal servant, brings me my food, helps me dress, cleans my rooms, and such things." Arthur clarified, it made sense if this boy was from some remote village that he'd not have heard of such things.

"What you can't dress yourself?" Merlin snorted a laugh, only to shut up at the blonde's glare, so he silently encouraged the man to continue his story.

"Anyways, I went out hunting with my manservant, as usual, before dawn this morning. I had just taken down a doe and went over to looked at it and I handed over my weapon to him only to find myself surrounded by bandits and for my manservant to be pointing my own weapon at me." Merlin listened intently as he started to make a healing tea in the pot.

"He was quite smug, went on and on about how he'd gotten the best of me, how he'd been planning this for months, and even rubbed in my face how he was paying the people who were going to kill me with my own money." Merlin could tell the the knight was quite pissed about the whole thing.

"So what did you do?" Merlin asked, curious.

"Well, I told him he was a coward and that I thought he couldn't actually go through with it."

"You didn't!" Merlin exclaimed incredulously.

Arthur felt himself blush in embarrassment, and defended himself immediately. "Well, I was right, he didn't have the guts to go through with it." As the boy made a pointed looked down at his shoulder, he felt himself go more red. "The bandit in charge though didn't seem to have a problem with doing it instead.

"The ordeal was awfully tedious, I fought them they fought me and the last thing I remember is falling into the river. They must have just assumed that I was a goner and left me to die."

"So, no one even knows that something has happened to you?"

"Well, I left a guard in the nearest town outside of where I was hunting, he knows that if I haven't come back by late afternoon that something must have gone wrong and to get help."

"Why did your servant even want to kill you in the first place?"

"Ah, well," The blonde started off sheepishly. "Apparently I didn't treat him very nicely."

Merlin snorted at that, and murmured, "I can't say I'm surprised."

"Excuse me?" Arthur demanded.

"Well I'm just saying the first thing you did to me was threaten my life, I can't say it surprises me that people don't like you." Merlin clarified.

"I'll have you know I'm extremely well liked." Arthur stated confidently.

"Yay, you're a narcissist as well, joy." Merlin mumbled, pouring the tea into a cup and then stretching his arm as far as it could toward the knight. At the look of distrust the man shot towards the cup Merlin rolled his eyes. "It's a healing tea, it'll help fight off infection and help with pain, both of which you really need help with."

The man still didn't reach for the cup so Merlin just placed it down on the ground next to him. "Fine, if you want to die be my guest. Actually, you know what this works great for me, with you dead no one will know I'm a sorcerer, so please don't drink it." Merlin said angrily.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Merlin said slowly. "That when I found you, you were face down in the mud, and you just told me that you spent the day floating in the river like a dead fish, and I doubt the bandit cared enough to give you the courtesy to clean his knife before he stabbed you. Add on to the fact that you lost a very large amount of blood you have a very high chance of infection, which could kill you, so I suggest to just drink the damn tea, you saw me make it, I didn't use any magic."

Arthur thought it over, and decided that he might at well take his chances and drink the damn thing. He picked up the cup and brought it to his lips only to splutter at the first sip. "That. is. _Disgusting_."

The boy laughed at that, grinning cheekily at him as he said. "Still have to drink it though."

Arthur scowled, but brought the cup to his lips again bracing himself as he gulped it all down, he couldn't help his face scrunching up in disgust, but it wasn't any worse than many of the tinctures that Gauis had given him before. He looked up as he heard a pointed cough from the boy to get his attention.

"I'm going to have to pour the rest directly over the wound," Merlin said apologetically.

Arthur let out a sigh, before moving his head to the side so the brunette would have room to pour it. "Get on with it."

Merlin picked up the pot with a piece of cloth and walked over to the other man, removing the bandages from the wound. He gave a warning before pouring it, and saw the other man stiffen in an attempt to brace himself for it.

Arthur hissed through clenched teeth at the stinging and burning, and let out a pained grunt as he felt it get deep into the wound. After he was done he dried everything up and put some more paste on it and covered it with fresh bandages.

"Do you usually carry around bandages with you," Arthur asked after the other came back from the river after cleaning the pot and refilling it with more water.

"No," Merlin said placing the pot over fire again, so he could clean the used bandages. At the pointed looked the knight gave the bandages, Merlin clarified. "I made these from a spare shirt I had with me."

Arthur didn't say anything to that, trying to ignore the guilty feeling that caused him. It was clear that the boy wasn't well off, he wouldn't be surprised if that had been his only shirt other than the one he was wearing. Clearing his throat he asked the question that'd been on his mind.

"Why don't you just use magic instead, of all this?" He asked gesturing at the bandages and medicine.

"What now you want me to use magic?" Merlin asked sarcastically.

"What? No! And you're not answering the question."

"Causeidontknowhow," Merlin mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I don't know how."

"What do you mean? You did it earlier."

"No I didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I kind of just did it, you were about to die so I just ..." He made a vague gesture with his hands.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I don't know?"

"You're hopeless aren't you."

Merlin let a out a insulted huff, and replied without thinking. "At least I'm not a prat."

They both glanced at each other before Arthur said, confused and a little intrigued. "There's something about you, I can't quite put my finger on it."

"You mean besides the fact I have magic?" Merlin asked sarcastically with a bitter laugh.

Arthur didn't say anything his eyes just narrowing at the mention of magic. They sat in silence the tension between them almost tangible. It was sometime before Arthur spoke again.

"What are you doing in Camelot in the first place?" Merlin glanced at him before looking away keeping his mouth shut. He didn't want Gauis or anyone else to get in trouble, even by accident. Arthur let out a frustrated sigh. "Well can I at least know your name?"

Again he received no answer.

"Well, can I at least know what you plan on doing now?" He snapped out. Merlin bit his lip, fingers tugging at the grass nervously, before speaking.

"I don't know."

The knights brows came together in confusion. "Are you going to kill me, or leave me for dead? I think I have the right to know."

The mans assumptions about him set him on edge so without thinking he started speaking. "I'm going to take you back to the castle of course, couldn't leave you out here, you'd surely die and all my hard work would have gone to waste."

Trying to not think about his decision and what it could mean he started to pack back up the few belongings he had before grabbing the man's jerkin and walking up to him. The knight just looked on bewildered. Eyes going from the sorcerer's face to the piece of clothing like he didn't understand either one.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Now I know you don't know how to get dressed but this here, you put your arms in it." He explained slowly making the man puff up in indignant righteousness before wincing, his hand moving to his shoulder. Merlin moved closer holding the jacket out for the man to slide his good arm in, trying to ignore the way he tensed up and carefully watching him and how he himself glanced down at the hands that not to long ago had been wrapped around his throat.

When he finally had his clothing on and the boy had taken a few steps back Arthur finally spoke, studying him. "You're really going to take me back to Camelot?"

"Yeah, so let's get you up on your feet, I can't carry you back." Arthur felt his face screw up as the image of him being carried bridal style into the throne room to Urther's feet popped into his head. Not having any other choice he let the boy help him up and support him with an arm around his waist and his own swung over the man's shoulders.

This was going to be a long walk.

 **. o . O . o .**

"Do you need a break?"

"No, I don't need a break."

"Well, it sure looks like you do."

"I. Do. Not. Need. A. Break." Arthur bit out stubbornly, despite the fact that since they started their trek an hour or so ago he was shaking and could feel sweat dripping down his brow. Undeterred by him the boy stopped anyways.

"Well, I need one, even if it's just to get away from your stench for a moment."

"I do not stink!" Arthur protested as the other helped him to sit down, secretly grateful they had stopped. He just rolled his eyes and immediately started to check on his wounds tutting as he saw they were starting to bleed threw again, but didn't change them yet.

They drank some water and ate the last of the brunettes food, Arthur not hesitating in taking either, before they were off again.

As they started down the path Arthur focused onto the man besides him. He was looking resolutely forward, his own face drenched in sweat. This was no easy feat for him it was sure, Arthur wondered if he'd be able to make it all the way back to Camelot before exhausting himself.

He didn't think the other particularly weak, it was most likely he had worked in the fields his whole life if the rough dirty hands were anything to go by. But carrying -yes, carrying, he knew he was barely doing anything to hold himself up- a man maybe twice his weight (honestly the boy was a twig) was going to take it's toll quickly. He just hadn't been trained with that kind of stamina.

So he wondered how long the other would last, the earliest they would get to the gates would be dawn the next morning and the sun set not a few hours before, so there was still a lot of time to go.

Which brought up another question.

"Why?"

"You're going to have to be a little more specific than that." The boy said, kicking a branch out of their way.

"Why are you doing this? You'll be arrested at the gates, and then there's only one outcome."

"Wow, great motivational speech, are you trying to get me to leave you here and turn around?" The sorcerer replied sarcastically. _The sass_ , he thought indignantly.

"Of course not," Grunted out as he winced. "It's just... why?"

"Because it's the right thing." Arthur looked to the other man, taking in his determined expression. "If I left you, you'd be as good as dead and that would make me a murderer. I couldn't live with myself, I couldn't go back to my mother like that."

They were silent as the knight took all of this in before speaking again. "You're mother, is she a witch?"

"What? No! She's a healer, she can't and doesn't know how to perform any magic."

"Then where did you learn?"

"I didn't learn anywhere." The wizard but out annoyed.

"Then how can you perform enchantments?" Arthur asked, getting confused.

"Listen, I don't know any enchantments, or spells, or anything else. I was just born like this."

Arthur let out a scoff at that. "That's impossible."

"Right," The boy said curtly. "Tell that to my mother who had to deal with the horror of her baby summoning toys over to him whenever he wanted to. She's the one who brings it up whenever she's trying to guilt me into doing my work."

They were silent again. Arthur focusing down on the ground as he took step after painfully slow step, trying to take in what the other had said.

"That's impossible." He said, sounding unsure to his own ears, because that had been what he had been taught.

The other didn't say a thing.

 **. o . O . o .**

When the sun started to rise they were minutes from the gates and the sky had started to light up behind the castle surrounding it in hues of purple yellow and orange creating a sight that on any other day coming back to would have had him stopping to take in the view in awe. But not today.

There was already a line of people waiting to get in, ready to sell their wares in the market, so before they got to them he asked the other if he had a cloak he could use. The brunette was clearly confused, but got out the thin blanket he owned and wrapped it around his shoulders, but Arthur brought it up to cover his face.

He knew he was making no sense to the other, who clearly expected him to announce himself to the first guard he saw and have him arrested, but he knew what he was doing. He had made his choice, somewhere between them talking and having his bandages repeatedly replace and his wound cared for.

He just hadn't told the other yet. He felt like he had to test him, see if he would truly come through on his word.

So, when they made their way through the crowd, explaining they needed medical treatment, and they walked past the guards without him ever making eye contact and purposefully hiding his face, he understood the sorcerer's look of confusion tinged with a hopefulness.

"You'll have to take me directly to the castle so that I don't have to ask any of the guards for help and bring unwanted attention to either of us."

"Are you..." He trailed off, gulping.

"When we reach our destination we will part ways and never speak of this or see each other again. If you are ever caught you will never mention me in anyway, or expect me to help you get released. My debt will be payed.

The other looked at him with such gratefulness and what he was sure were tears in his eyes. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," He said, coughing uncomfortably. "No, really, don't mention it."

That caused the boy to let out a small laugh, then, seeming to have his strength restored, readjusted his grip around his waist and marched them up to the castle.

Arthur knew that there was an execution this morning of a sorcerer, it's how they were able to make it outside the castle without causing any suspension. He just didn't think they'd be there to witness it.

The other man had stopped as soon as they had happened upon the crowd trying to peer over the heads, curious as to what was going on. Arthur had tried to direct him away and had almost been successful but then his father had walked out.

At first he had been sure the other would be able to immediately tell the familial resemblance and turn on him, but the minute the brunettes eyes caught on the king his eye's widened and his mouth dropped open. It made sense, it's not like he thought the other had ever seen a king in his life.

But when the it became clear what was going on, the awe in those eyes quickly turned to horror as he watched the execution. Arthur had tried to get him to look away, but the sorcerer took in the whole thing.

"We need to leave." Arthur said sharply, finally getting the others attention. Almost wishing he hadn't because seeing the turmoil and fear in those eyes was almost too much, he wondered what he would think if he knew that he was the son of the man who just put one of his brethren down.

The younger man nodded, his face wiped of all of his previous emotions a smile on his face as his eyes darted at the people around them. But Arthur could feel his trembling hand around his waist.

"Does this happen every day?" The brunette whispered.

"No, it's not that common." And it wasn't. But his father had wanted to make an example for the 20th anniversary of the ban of magic so he'd made sure that when they caught a magical to keep them alive in the dungeon to be brought out just for today.

They had started to walk away when a loud mournful wail echoed through the courtyard.

"There is one one evil in this land, and it is not magic! It is you." The voice belonged to an old woman in rags. Arthur saw the tears down her face and already knew where this was going. "With your hatred and your ignorance. You took my son."

It wasn't uncommon for family members to speak out in their grief, he had guessed it as soon as he saw her, what he couldn't have predicted was what came next. "And I promise you before these celebrations are over you will share my tears. An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth; a son for a son!"

The threat was clear and his father wasted no time jumping to action.

"Seize her."

But it was too late, before anyone could get close she was chanting words Arthur couldn't comprehend and then the wind picked up and she was gone. Seeing such a display of magic sent chills down his spine, he stiffened in defence without thinking about. He couldn't help looking at the man holding him up and recall the glowing golden eyes that had been the first thing he had seen upon waking.

But he looked just as disturbed as the others around them. He didn't seem to want to linger and took Arthur's directions to an unoccupied corridor and sat him on a bench.

"Are you sure you'll be fine here?"

"If I can walk all night through the woods without dying I think I can manage sitting on a bench until someone comes by to help me. It's best for both of us if no one knows we have any sort of connection." Saving the prince's life would draw too much unwanted attention to the magician.

The other nodded and started to turn before pausing and asking, "Why?" Repeating the question Arthur had asked him not too long ago.

"Because taking you to trial would require me to spend even more time hearing you prattle on than I'd like. So I'd like to avoid that at all costs."

The boy smirked. "You know you loved it."

Arthur, in irritation and in an effort to get the other to leave before someone showed up, took the blanket the had been wrapped around him and with his good arm bundled it up and threw it at the other. It hit him in the face, but he didn't seem to mind, he just stuffed it into his bag and took off laughing.

Arthur did not smile.

But why indeed?

It had been a matter of honour. At first he thought the honorable thing to do would be to turn him in. It was his duty as a knight, as a prince, and to his father. But then a little voice came to him, one he spent his life trying to ignore because it always put him in bad situations, and asked _what about his duty to himself?_

The man had risked everything to save him, and to just turn on him like that? No, Arthur had done enough questionable things in his life that still haunted the back of his thoughts he didn't need to add another one.

So that's how he got to be sitting on a bench in the middle of the castle bleeding out for a maid to find him and shriek out a call for the guards, who at realizing who he was started to carry him to his room, one of them sending the maid to go get Gaius.

He was not looking forward to speaking with his father.

 **. o . O . o .**

 **Thanks for reading! What did you think? And anything you're wanting to see? I'm hoping to hear from everyone, and that you all** **have a great day!**


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